Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins

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I used to eat muffins often for breakfast! They weren’t always the healthiest muffins, as many recipes are loaded with sugars and oil or butter. Sometimes, when I’ve been sick, it was the only thing I could manage to get down or that sounded good. Now, I can eat these healthier Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins for breakfast!

Healthier breakfasts

Lately though, breakfast has been avocado toast, homemade granola, smoothies, or eggs. So today, for a treat, we pulled out a nice carrot “cake” muffin. This is not too sweet, and uses pure maple syrup plus a small amount of organic cane sugar. It uses brown rice flour, almond flour, and tapioca for the flours, and has nuts, raisins, and unsweetened coconut, which works so nice with the carrot.

Breakfast treats are still always a nice splurge

Sometimes I still will treat myself to a gluten free carrot cake from Manresa Bakery, in Los Gatos, which are delicious and buttery! You can also get these at Verve Coffee Roasters in Santa Cruz, in the morning when they haven’t sold out.

A healthier muffin choice

I can make these Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins recipe, though, and not feel guilty eating them. The Ryze Gluten Free Flour Mix is a rice flour blend I like and use often, as it does not contain any xanthan or guar gum, but when used in recipes, it responds as if it contains it. It has to do with how they blend the flours. It’s amazing! But lately I haven’t been able to find this brand, which makes me super unhappy.

So, in it’s place you can substitute another gluten free 1 to 1 flour with xanthan gum. Together with the almond flour the texture of these muffins is very good. Adding almond flour into baked goods is something I love to do, when I can. If you have a nut allergy though, simply omit the almond flour, and the nuts, and add in 1/3 cup of millet or sorghum flour in place of it.

Check the ingredients list to see which should be certified gluten free or labeled gluten free

You will also see notations of “gf” or “gluten free” next to ingredients that you need to watch out for when baking for a celiac or gluten intolerant person. Sometimes, the very sensitive or celiac person can’t get away with any cross contamination which many spices, vanilla, flours, nuts or dried fruit, often contain. Some of the keys ones to consider are vanilla, spices, chocolate or chocolate chips, and nuts (many seem to be made in a facility which also processes gluten).

Practices in our gluten free household

However, in our house for me, I stay away from anything not labeled gf or that is made in a facility that processes gluten. I stick to Kirkland vanilla or Nielson Massey vanillas and vanilla paste, which are all gluten free, all Schilling McCormick spices and other extracts, and Bob’s Red Mill labeled gluten free flours, mostly.

Ryze Gluten Free Flour and other gluten free flours

The Ryze flour, which is labeled gluten free, is something I’ve been using more of recently. I use the yellow bag, which is a blend of whole grain rice flour and rice flour. The package states it is, “a magically RYZEing blend of whole grain rice flour and rice flour”, with no gums, no starches, no GMO’s, and no allergens. I like that with this flour, you don’t have to have xanthan or other gums. You can achieve a great baked good without it.

I still don’t like to use all rice flours though, for health reasons. So, I mix in millet and sorghum, almond and tapioca or cassava. If you get a chance to make these Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins, please let me know what you think.

~Laura

(updated 10/26/23)

Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins

This is Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffin is not too sweet, and uses pure maple syrup plus a small amount of organic cane sugar. It uses brown rice flour, almond flour, and tapioca for the flours, and has nuts, raisins, and unsweetened coconut, which works so nice with the carrot.
Servings 12 muffins or 6 large
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 6 or 12 cup muffin tin

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup carrot finely shredded, about 1 large carrot
  • 1/2 cup oil (vegetable,  avocado or canola)
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 extra large eggs
  • 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
  • 1 ½  teaspoon vanilla gf
  • 3/4 cup Ryze Gluten Free Flour Mix (yellow bag) or substitute 1 to 1 Gluten Free flour with xanthan gum
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour (starch) gluten free
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon gluten free
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg gluten free
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda gluten free
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder gluten free
  • 1/4 cup chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts)
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1/8 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened toasted coconut flakes or shredded, gluten free

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375° F.
  • Mix together the Ryze flour, almond flour, tapioca, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg into a medium or large mixing bowl.
  • Combine in a small bowl, the carrot, eggs, oil, vanilla, and cane sugar. Stir thoroughly or whisk together to combine.
  • Add the wet mixture into the dry mixing bowl mixture, stirring completely for about a minute, with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add nuts, raisins, and coconut and stir to combine.
  • Fill large paper lined, and lightly oiled cups, 2/3's full. You can also use paper cake molds, but be sure to lightly grease the molds with oil and place on a cookie sheet for ease of putting in the oven and removing from the oven.
  • Bake for 16 – 22 minutes, depending on the size, or when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Recipe makes 15 small muffins or 6 large, plus 3 small muffins.
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: berry breakfast cake, carrot cake muffin, carrot muffin, dairy free muffin, tea time
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